I'll second, third and fourth the 280AI! It's a beast. I have one I had throated for 180gr VLD's the MCR built and it is on tack driving mother*******! You can get great quality Nosler brass if you don't want to fireform and there's a ton of great 7mm bullets out there. 2800FPS with a 180 VLD..what's not to like?

The rifle in the picture dates in the 1965 to 1969 era. The stamped checkering, open sights and the left over Model 721 or 722 Alum. butt plate is from that era.

I own a Remington Model 722, 78 and 3- 700 and traded and worked on many other 700's. That ramp in the barrel channel at the front sling swivel is a tricky item. I have shimmed the ramp and got the accuracy I wanted, I then raised the action with the same thickness shim, on one gun 2 thicknesses of aluminum pop can, built a modeling clay dam and glass bedded the ramp. Then removed the shims from under the action, Tighten down the action screws and it shot well.

The 700 action ejection port I believe is to short for the 300 RUM.

To take a 700 Bolt from 30-06 to Mag. bolt face is an expensive conversion as many gunsmiths do not want to put a standard Remington extractor back, but use a Sako extractor. Which means milling and fitting on the bolt. on top of the opening up of the bolt face.

Next unless you are going to shoot it as a single shot. Converting to Magnum would also take an opening of the magazine lips and I believe another follower.

The 280AI would only take a barrel and maybe a new stock to balance the longer barrel. No complex Action work.

One of the virtues of the Remington 700 long action is that it is long enough to accommodate full length magnums with a COAL of around 3.6". If you have your rifle fitted with a Wyatt's magazine box, you can go even longer. That gives you a lot of flexibility in cartridge choice.

You haven't said what your intended use for your rifle is, so it is difficult to narrow down the choices.

If you intend to stay with the standard .473 bolt face and/or within the 30-06 case family, you may wish to contact forum member elkaholic. He has developed improved versions of most of the 30-06 based cartridges and wildcats that are similar in performance to the old Gibbs cartridges, but with a more user friendly design.

If you want to step up to magnum cartridges, you will either need to have your bolt (and possibly the feed rails on your action) modified for the .532 case head. You can also buy an aftermarket magnum bolt, which will offer a number of other improvements as well.

The .532 case head will accommodate the standard length Win Mags (or .308 Norma), cartridges based on the .375 Ruger case, Weatherby Mags (except for the .378 based Weatherbys), H&H Mags, and RUM cartridges.

Be advised that, although Remington offers rifles chambered in .338 Lapua, most custom gunsmiths don't view the 700 action as suitable for the larger case diameter of the .416 Rigby based cartridges such a .338 Lapua, .338 Norma, and .300 Norma.

Within these parameters, you can pick the bullet diameter and case family that most interests you and best fits your goals and purposes for your rifle. From there, it is possible to make a better determination of what parts will be best suited for your application. Your cartridge choice will heavily influence things like barrel length and profile, desired stock features, desired finished rifle weight, and whether or not you would want/need a muzzle brake. All of those things will also be influenced by your level of recoil tolerance.

When making your cartridge selection, don't forget to seriously and realistically consider whether or not availability of factory ammo is important to you and how much interest you have in hand loading. Even if you choose a cartridge with good factory ammo availability, realize that proper hand loading is still a necessity if true long range shooting is among your goals.

If you just want to accurize your rifle, you may be best served by staying with the 30-06 and going with an aftermarket stock, barrel, and trigger. Have it all trued up and properly bedded, and you might be surprised at how much performance you can actually squeeze out of the old '06 with the latest powders and bullets.

If you want to step up to magnum cartridges, you will either need to have your bolt (and possibly the feed rails on your action) modified for the .532 case head. You can also buy an aftermarket magnum bolt, which will offer a number of other improvements as well.

The .532 case head will accommodate the standard length Win Mags (or .308 Norma), cartridges based on the .375 Ruger case, Weatherby Mags (except for the .378 based Weatherbys), H&H Mags, and RUM cartridges.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneTraveler

To take a 700 Bolt from 30-06 to Mag. bolt face is an expensive conversion as many gunsmiths do not want to put a standard Remington extractor back, but use a Sako extractor. Which means milling and fitting on the bolt. on top of the opening up of the bolt face.

I would like to convert to a .338WM or a .300WM if for no other reason that brass and ammunition is readily available. My main uses would be for CO elk/deer, and some day when I inherit a 20K or win the lottery I want to do a self guided Moose/Caribou hunt in AK. It sound as though I can change the bolt, barrel, stock and get to this fairly easy correct? Or am I just a knucklehead for even thinking about this? Since McMillan is here in AZ I was going to visit them.

I would like to convert to a .338WM or a .300WM if for no other reason that brass and ammunition is readily available. My main uses would be for CO elk/deer, and some day when I inherit a 20K or win the lottery I want to do a self guided Moose/Caribou hunt in AK. It sound as though I can change the bolt, barrel, stock and get to this fairly easy correct? Or am I just a knucklehead for even thinking about this? Since McMillan is here in AZ I was going to visit them.

Though I would not consider it to be a DIY project, it should be fairly straightforward for a competent smith to convert your rifle to one of the 30-06 length magnums like .300WM or .338WM. There are some excellent bullets available for both cartridges and both would be very good choices for the purposes you mention.

For a rifle chambered in either cartridge, I would recommend that you either keep the rifle weight a bit heavier than a normal sporter or that you go with a muzzle brake. Doing either or both of those will go a long way toward making your rifle comfortable to shoot.